CHICAGO NEWS AND UPDATES FOR TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS: OCTOBER 2013

FALL/WINTER
OFFICIAL VISITORS GUIDE LAUNCHES

The 2013-2014
Fall/Winter Official Visitors Guide is now available. The guide features an
extensive guide to the must-have experiences that make Chicago great, as well
as a calendar of the seasons best festivals, exhibits, performances and holiday
events. It serves as a great tool for anyone interested in visiting Chicago
this fall or winter season, helping visitors uncover what's happening, find
great accommodations and dining options, and navigate the city.

CHICAGO WELCOMES
RECORD NUMBER OF OVERSEAS VISITORS IN 2012

Mayor Rahm
Emanuel and Choose Chicago announced that Chicago welcomed a record 1.369
million overseas visitors in 2012, an impressive 14.2 percent gain over the
1.199 million overseas visitors in 2011. This also moved Chicago into 9th
place in overall city rankings according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Including overseas visitors, Chicago's total visitation set a new record high
in 2012 at 46.37 million. At this rate, Chicago is well on its way to realizing
Mayor Emanuel's 2020 goal of 50 million visitors.

GROUND BREAKS ON
BLOOMINGDALE TRAIL

Officials from
the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Department of Transportation, and the
Trust for Public Land, along with Mayor Emanuel, broke ground on the
Bloomingdale Trail, a major project in the push to create 800 new parks,
recreation areas and green spaces in Chicago over the next five years. The
nearly three-mile long elevated trail will link five ground-level neighborhood
parks, as well as an observatory, wheel-friendly event plaza, art installations
and other amenities. It will form the park and trail system known as The 606, named for the first three digits of the zip code all Chicago residents share.
The first phase of the project will open to the public in the fall of 2014.